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Discussion Forum

kitchen countertops

| Posted in General Discussion on April 24, 2003 07:49am

Need help to define what the “norm” is regarding the overhang for kitchen counters. 

The overhang on my laminated countertops vary greatly, & range from

“3/8th of an inch” to “an inch & a half.” 

I know the standard material in the construction of these countertops is 25 inches deep and my walls are square.  The tops are poorly cut on the cabinet face side not on the wall side.  I believe the work is negligent.  I’m very dissatisfied. 

1. Can this be fixed or should they be replaced?

2. Is there any documentation/ resource that I can access to support my belief that the countertops should at a minimum exceed the cabinet by an inch and cover the face of the drawers/doors to protect the cabinets from spills and damage.

Thanks!  All help is appreciated!

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Replies

  1. joedigs | Apr 24, 2003 08:28pm | #1

    The range of 3/8 to 1 1/2 sounds large, and says something isn't square. 

    Is this along a wall or is it a peninsula?

    Standards, not sure...

    Others here will be of more help, but I would think the overhang should be somewhat equal, and another thought is a wall can be square overall and could waver slightly back and forth, hopefully less than 1/4"  Perfectly square is sometimes found only on paper

  2. Clay | Apr 24, 2003 08:31pm | #2

    There is no standard way to design the overhangs on kitchen cabinets that I know of.  What pleases the customer is paramount.  I usually like the overhang to be about 1" on the front faces of the cabinets because that will cover the door and drawer fronts.  1 1/2" is acceptable too because that allows a bit of room for the handles and keeps people from bumping them as easily.  On the sides it is usually 1/2" to 3/4" as there are no drawer fronts or doors to clear.  Where appliances (such as a range) will be set the overhang varies from 1/8" to zero.  sometimes I will set the tops on an island with a bit more overhang to help direct traffic past the knobs and allow for easier access to the working surfaces.  Most quality workmen will discuss these details with the customer or designer before settling on the dimensions.  It is possible that you may be dealing with some other kind of "craftsman".

  3. steve | Apr 25, 2003 12:31am | #3

    if the top is a laminated one made to fit the kitchen rather than a postform top then yes all overhangs should be equal.

    i build laminated tops for a living and what you describe is not acceptable

    an example of my tops is in the photogallery under kitchen i just completed

    that top required 3 sheets of laminate(5X12) and all overhangs are 1 1/2 everywhere

  4. gaoler1 | Apr 25, 2003 05:09am | #4

    I just finished a remodel today. I installed a standard laminate top from Home Depot 25" wide, but noticed the base cabinets all varied in the distance from edge of countertop. I had 5/8" difference in places. I took the top off and discovered the problem. When the base cabinets were installed they were not leveled. In each spot where I had a smaller dimension from the base to the edge of the top,  the cabinet was out of level (leaning towards the front) this caused the the cabinet to be closer to the top than the cabinet that happened to be level. Also, the cabinets that were out of level had also pulled away (or were never secured ) from the wall, adding to the problem.

    If your wall is reasonably straight I can't think of another reason to have those kind of disparitys in your measurements.

    Are the back of your base cabinets shimmed out in any place? I would put a string on the face of the cabinets and check fro straightness. Just some ideas, hope it helps.

    Gaoler1

  5. User avater
    Mongo | Apr 25, 2003 05:24am | #5

    Take a piece of string and pull it taught, with each end of the string held about 1/2" off the face/front edge of the countertop. Do you have an even half-inch space between the entire front edge of the countertop and the string, or does the distance vary? That will tell you if the front edge of the #### was cut straight.

    Do the same thing, this time holding the string a half-inch off the top front of the cabinets. This will tell you if it's the cabinets that are out of whack or the countertop.

    Regardless, it needs to be fixed.

    If the top was poorly cut, it will need replacement. More materials and a bit of labor. If it's the cabinets that are out of place, the top can be pulled, the cabinets reset, and the top may be able to be reset on the straightened cabinets. More labor and possibly more materials.

    1. nino | Apr 25, 2003 09:18pm | #6

      If the top was poorly cut, it will need replacement.

      There actually is a way of fixing a poorly cut countertop, but it depends on how far off it is and if you don't mind a hardwood edge.

      What you do is measure the top to take out the uneveness and to "square" it up. You then clamp a straight egde on the cut line and use a router with a top bearing straight cut bit. Make a few passes in the top until you can remove the straight edge and use the top itself to guide the bit. Then install the hardwood edge of your choice.

      I've done this a few times, but only once to repair a badly cut countertop.

      1. User avater
        Mongo | Apr 26, 2003 06:21am | #7

        nino,

        Good points...they certainly can be salvaged. My thought were more along the lines of "can he still get what he originally paid for." With countertops that sound that far out of whack, I'd doubt it.

        Still, you brought forth a good and valid technique.

  6. User avater
    JeffBuck | Apr 26, 2003 07:30am | #8

    about an inch...and straight.

    now....figure what's not straight.

    the cab's...or the top.

    might be too late...might be crooked cab's....and the counter top guys will say they templated what they were given and made their stuff straight.

    the cab install can only be as straight as the walls......but they should be close.

    close enough to hide.

    that's why the top overhangs a bit....

    but things shouldn't be that wavy.

    just a question of who let the buck pass and got caught.

    who did the framing...if it's crooked...

    who did the cab's.....if it's crooked...

    might not be who did the top.

    Jeff

    Buck Construction   Pittsburgh,PA

     Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite                  

    1. mikeys | Apr 26, 2003 08:11pm | #10

      "the cab install can only be as straight as the walls......but they should be close."

      If the wall is crooked the cabinets should be shimmed straight. The countertop is then scribed to the crooked wall.

      1. nino | Apr 27, 2003 08:59am | #11

        If the wall is crooked the cabinets should be shimmed straight. The countertop is then scribed to the crooked wall.

        Exactly!

        But I have to tell you that I've seen some wild things lately, so I wouldn't be surprised if the installer just went and followed a crooked wall rather than shim the cabs straight.

        I wonder if the top guy really went in and templated the countertop at all. If the cabs are crooked and the top built from a plan, it could very well explain why there is such a discrepancy.

        Still, nothing would surprise me.

      2. User avater
        JeffBuck | Apr 28, 2003 03:50am | #13

        if a wall's way out and has a long run....

        ya gotta hide it best you can.....and sometimes...that means fudging the cab's "straightness" and "square" off the corner cab.

        just trying to not give a definite "it's this" or "it's that"....

        as we ain't there to see it.

        JeffBuck Construction   Pittsburgh,PA

         Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite                  

        1. nino | Apr 28, 2003 06:14am | #14

          just trying to not give a definite "it's this" or "it's that"....

          as we ain't there to see it.

          Ain't that the truth!

          LOL!

          1. Accelar | Apr 28, 2003 04:30pm | #15

            And the person who posted the question last Thursday at 1:49 hasn't read the answers since 1 hour afterwards, despite all the excellent advice provided - nor provided more input to help the helpers.Gavin Pitchford

             

  7. MisterT | Apr 26, 2003 01:36pm | #9

    Top should over hang at least an inch, but not more than 1-1/2"

    this is so when you spill the grape juice it drips on the floor instead of running down the drawers and doors.

    Sounds to me like your cabinets are not straight but it coud also be a bad scribe job on the tops.

    Mr T

    Do not try this at home!

    I am an Experienced Professional!

  8. nino | Apr 27, 2003 09:06am | #12

    I'm leaning toward believing that the cabs are installed crooked as I've found that if a countertop is off, it's not a "wavy" cut as this would show up during production (and he'd HAVE to be a fool to go ahead and install it), but more like a difference in a dimension end to end (like being 25" on one side and 24 3/4" on the other, along those lines).

  9. Wet_Head | Apr 29, 2003 09:34pm | #16

    Did this person say that this entire variance was along one edge?  I pictured it as different edge planes having different overhangs but they might all still be consistent.  Or am I all wet?

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